Reasons to Stay Still
by Memoirs of a Dream
Summary: The Doctor didn't sleep much, but he could sleep anywhere. Honestly, that man had the best balance Rose had ever seen. General silliness with just a pinch of 10/Rose fluff.


_A/N: If you recognize it, I don't own it. Don't you just love the mental picture of sleepy Ten?_

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**Reasons to Stay Still**

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The Doctor didn't sleep as much as humans did. He needed about an hour a night, he said. Before his regeneration, Rose had never noticed him sleeping. She figured that he must have been in the habit of catching his rest while she did. Now, though, he consistently _forgot_ about sleep for days on end, sometimes more than a week

The Doctor didn't sleep much, but he _could_ sleep anywhere. Every so often, Rose would find him sleeping in some unlikely place. Once, he was sprawled out on the grating in the console room like an infant, sonic screwdriver still in his hand, his glasses askew. Many times, he was in the kitchen with a stone-cold pot of tea in front of him, slumped over the table with his face buried in his elbow. Once, he'd fallen asleep in the bathroom. It had ended up being a five hour long shower because Rose hadn't dared go in and switch the water off.

Rose even found him curled up in the fork of the coral struts at one point, perched so precariously that she immediately went and fetched cushions to put on the floor. He might be better built than a human, but a ten-foot fall onto metal grating would hurt.

She learned to recognize the signs of sleepiness. When he'd been skipping sleep for a few days, he rubbed his eyes more and blinked less. His walk became a lazy swagger, not his usual beeline, and he didn't run his hands through his hair so much. Once he got to the point where he was actually yawning, Rose dragged him back to the TARDIS no matter _what_ they were in the middle of – yawning was the sign that he would pass out within an hour, even if he insisted that he was wide awake and absolutely not in need of sleep.

Once, he fell asleep mid-word and stood there, eyes closed and mouth open, swaying gently but apparently able to keep his feet. Honestly, that man had the best balance Rose had ever seen.

He woke up two hours later and said, "-orphic turbulence causing the wavelengths to… Rose?"

Rose peered out from the hallway. "'Bout time you woke up. Tea?"

"Mm. That sounds good. Did I fall asleep again?"

"Yeah." Rose handed him one of the warm mugs of tea she was carrying. "Second time this month. You really should get to sleep every night, you know."

"Don't like it."

"Don't like it?" Rose waited until he'd plopped onto the jump seat and taken a few sips of his tea to perk himself up. "What, you have… nightmares, or something?"

"Nah." The Doctor shook his head, immediately dismissing the notion. He patted the console affectionately. "The good ol' girl, even if I did have nightmares she'd keep them away. I just get bored. I don't like holding still."

"What were you doing up in the coral, that you fell asleep there?"

The Doctor blinked owlishly at her. Rose laughed. He took a few more sips of tea, rubbed the sleep from his eyes, and ran a hand through his hair. "What, really? Up in the coral? Huh. I don't remember doing that." He looked up at the coral struts. "Wonder how I managed it." He rubbed at his eyes again and adjusted the glasses that were beginning to slip down his nose. Then, on second thought, he took them off and slipped them into his pocket. Rose sat beside him and leaned into his side.

"So why do you get bored? I mean, sleeping, you ain't exactly aware enough to get bored, yeah?"

He shrugged and squirmed a little, cuddling closer to her and yawning. "Like I said, don't like to hold still. Except when you're with me. You, Rose Tyler, are special. And I think I …"

Rose waited a beat, her heart hammering. She bit her lip and looked up at him. "You think you what, Doct – oh."

He was asleep again. Rose sighed. Hopefully he'd wake up and finish his sentence soon.

Later, the Doctor awoke in the empty console room with a blanket draped over him and said, "love you." He sat up, looked around, and scowled to himself. "_Again?_ That's the third time this month."


End file.
